Middle Powers Need U.S. Power to Resist Chinese Coercion
Middle powers are seeking leverage between a less reliable Washington and a more coercive Beijing, but the speakers argued that coordination cannot substitute for American power. In a Jonathan Capehart-moderated Aspen Ideas Festival panel, Chrystia Freeland, Sadanand Dhume, and Shannon O’Neil said countries outside the two dominant powers need deeper cooperation, but remain constrained by divergent interests, supply-chain dependence, collective-action problems, and the continuing indispensability of the United States.
The Aspen Institute·Jul 2, 2026·19 min read
